AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021 - 51

avionics. In flight control. I love
that kind of stuff. " Yet, his first real
attraction to aviation came through
a Boy Scout Explorers Club that
introduced him to the idea of working
in air traffic control. " That's
what started me thinking in that
[aviation's] direction. "
It is Hemphill's hope that he can
provide similar insight and initiative
to the students he works with
through The 99th Squadron.
Toward the end of the five-week
program, Hemphill begins scheduling
introductory flights with the
students. Often, they are accompanied
by a parent, a sibling, or a
combination of family members
who are as excited about the possibilities
as their young students are.
In 2021 the program will begin
on Saturday, September 11, in the
main building at Valkaria Airport
just south of Melbourne. It will
conclude with a commencement
ceremony on October 30.
The program is specifically
and deliberately targeted at students
from minority populations,
as Hemphill says, " in an effort to
address the disparity in representation
in the industry. " This is an
especially important goal because
even though his own family was
very supportive of his aspirations,
he recalls the personal struggles
presented by the type of self-limiting
thoughts teenagers often
hold. Those doubts and misunderstandings
very well might derail an
otherwise stellar career if not for the
availability of external support and
encouragement.
The Hemphill family covers
the costs to continue a program in
which they see real value. Local
pilots are supportive and helpful,
as well. But the full cost of operating
The 99th Squadron falls on the
shoulders of Ramone, Shannon,
and the generosity of benefactors
who find them in person or seek
them out through the organization's
website. jamie.beckett@aopa.org
the99th.org
SHINJI MAEDA circumnavigated the Earth in
43 days in a 1963 Beechcraft V-tail Bonanza
he named Lucy. Weather-including sandblasting
from a Sahara Desert storm, fog in
Russia, and brief but harrowing icing conditions-was
a factor along the route. The
around-the-world flight was a culmination
of the messages of hope that Maeda, who is
blind in one eye from a motorcycle accident,
uses to inspire others. Maeda founded the
nonprofit Aero Zypangu Project (Air Japan)
in 2015, which encourages others to follow
their own dreams. aopa.org/pilot/Maeda
BEN TEMPL E TON, 18, launched a 100-airport,
8,300-mile journey in a Piper J-3 Cub
on June 1, the same day most of his classmates
walked across the stage to collect their
high school diplomas. He flies radio control
aircraft for fun, soloed on his sixteenth
birthday, and earned a pilot certificate at
age 17. After completing the 60-day journey,
Templeton said he plans to pursue aviation
management at Middle Georgia State
University. aopa.org/pilot/Templeton
Going long
These pilots are living their dream
BR I T ISH PI LOT Travis Ludlow, 18, secured
a Guinness World Record as the youngest to
fly solo around the world after he landed a
Continental CD-155 Jet A-powered Cessna
172 at Teuge International Airport in the
Netherlands (see " Pilots, " p. 112).
aopa.org/pilot/Ludlow
YOUNG PI L OTS USA founder and 16-yearold
student pilot Luc Zipkin embarked on a
Connecticut-to-California round-trip flight
in a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub on June 8 to raise
awareness for AOPA Foundation flight training
scholarships and two charities. He was
accompanied by his father and CFI Eric
Zipkin, who flew the family's Cessna 180
Skywagon as a chase aircraft during the
5,000-mile journey, keeping an eye on the
vintage Cub with no electrical system and
adhering to Part 61 solo endorsement regulations.
aopa.org/pilot/Zipkin
AOPA PILOT / September 2021
51
TOP LEFT, CHRIS ROSE, ALL OTHERS DAVID TULIS
http://www.aopa.org/pilot/Templeton http://www.aopa.org/pilot/Maeda http://www.aopa.org/pilot/Ludlow http://www.aopa.org/pilot/Zipkin http://www.the99th.org
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021

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